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Migration is an album that, behind its poised structures and dreamy textures, is built out of turmoil. Simon Green, over more than a decade and a half, has come from humble beginnings as an eclectic DJ in Brighton, on the English south coast, to being one of the world's biggest electronic acts. This in turn left him essentially rootless and without a real place to call home for almost three years as he toured his previous album The North Borders around the world. Pieced together and composed on the road, then taken into various studios to add the many brilliant instrumentalists and vocalists who add to its richness and complexity, Migration is the sound of a world in flux. Where some can find the itinerant touring lifestyle draining and confusing, for Si it became a chance to observe micro and macro –local and global – aspects of 21st century life, to connect them to his own emotional experiences, and to remind himself that this dizzying world is still made up of real people's individual stories.

In all of that, it has become, perhaps, an album for our times. We live in a period of sometimes terrifying uncertainty, where all too often people are tempted to retreat into their own shuttered-off realities, or to seek easy answers in shouted slogans and false promises. Migration, on the other hand, is an embrace of uncertainty and contradiction, and most importantly of all, even though its scope is epic, it is full of conviction that small ideas, questions, doubts, and stories really matter. Blissful it may often be, but escapist it isn't. Along with the likes of Caribou, Floating Points, Four Tet and Flying Lotus, Si is flying the flag for modernist music that can be both widely accessible and exploratory, that can reach those arena-sized audiences yet still touch individuals deeply and specifically on emotional and intellectual levels. From all that turmoil, he has provided a timely reminder that artistry, introspection and a gentle, personal touch still have value and power in a difficult world.

The young electronic musician known as Romare wears his inspiration on his sleeve – in fact, he takes his very name from it. Having studied African American Visual Culture at University, he had his 'Sex Pistols moment' when he came across the work of Romare Bearden. The African American's collaged, cut'n'paste artworks inspired the young musician to apply a similar technique to music – an approach that was hugely fruitful, and remains central to his work today. After stints as a drummer and guitarist throughout school and university, he moved to Paris where he picked up the turntables and began mixing his own music with samples from second hand records. Romare the musician was born and the template for his debut record.

Underground hothouse Black Acre signed him in 2012, adding him to a formidable roster that included Loops Haunt, Fantastic Mr Fox, Blue Daisy and Dark Sky. The imprint put out his first release 'Meditations on Afrocentrism' in March of that year. He began to play shows, making enough money to finance a move to London. Ensconced in the vast musical melting pot of the capital, he began work on his second EP 'Love Songs: Part One.' Romare's songs were included on compilations by heavyweights such as Bonobo and Tiga, as well as the Brownswood Recordings imprint.

His debut album, Projections, is named after a pivotal exhibition of his namesake and likewise explores various elements of American life. The album is in many ways a homage to the cycle of cultural appropriation in America. "Work Song" is a tribute to the classic American and namesake work song, whilst "Rainbow" is a celebration of disco. Projections expertly catalogues the movements of influence within music. The album doesn't just sample music and vocal snatches, but also other sources such as documentaries and marries live instrumentation with the sampling palette.

With fierce support from by the likes of Benji B, Gilles Peterson and Huw Stephens, Romare's music has, rightfully, already caused a stir. The stage is now set for his stunning debut album, Projections.

Innov Gnawa is a young musical collective dedicated to exploring Morocco’s venerable gnawa music tradition in the heart of New York City. Formed in the summer of 2014 by Moroccan expat Samir LanGus, the group draws on the considerable talents and expertise of Hassan Ben Jaafer, a Maâlem, or master gnawa musician, originally from Fes, Morocco. Under the guidance of Ben Jaafer, Innov has delved deep into the roots and rituals of gnawa music, and made a big splash in NYC, playing some of the city’s most prestigious rooms including Lincoln Center, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn Bowl and the storied backroom of Brooklyn’s Barbès.

For the uninitiated, gnawa music is the ritual trance music of Morocco’s black communities, originally descended from slaves and soldiers once brought to Morocco from Northern Mali and Mauritania. Often called “The Moroccan Blues”, gnawa music has a raw, hypnotic power that’s fascinated outsiders as diverse as writer/composer Paul Bowles, jazz giant Randy Weston and rock god Jimi Hendrix. The music is utterly singular, played on an array of unique instruments — from the lute-like sintir that the Maâlem uses to call the tune, to the metal qarqaba (castinets) with which the kouyos (chorus) keep time and pound out clattering, hypnotic rhythms.

Hailed by Brooklyn Magazine as one of the "5 Bands You Need to Know in Brooklyn's Arabic Music Scene", Innov Gnawa make great use of this traditional repertoire, and add their own, contemporary spin with additional African and Latin percussion. Taken as a whole, this exciting new outfit works hard to fuse a centuries old North African tradition with the pulse and attitude of New York City.